2018 Goals

I have several goals for 2018. However, there is no magic in the calendar, so I am starting to work toward some of them already. It’s a balancing act – too many goals disipates focus, whereas too few goals is just not who I am. Here, in order of importance are my 2018 goals, as I see them currently.

2 hour Kung Fu practice 6 mornings per week – I know that this is the amount of time needed to make the kind of progress that I want, really the minimum amount of time. The only reason that the goal is not 7 mornings per week is that one morning is taken up with a lesson with my Instructor, which entails 45 minutes of travel each way. Meeting this 2-hour per day goal means feet on the practice floor from 6 am to 8 am six mornings per week. This is doable, but not easy. When we had regular weekly classes, I used to do 2 hours three mornings per week. I don’t expect to do 2 hours for six mornings a week from the outset. I will need to build up to it. But this is the goal and I hope to be there around March. Of course, the practice space is still under construction, which adds some difficulty, but the old attic practice space is still always available so there is really no excuse for not putting in the time. In the end, it is just a matter of getting out of bed early and getting it done. How to fill the practice time most effectively is really a secondary goal at this point. First and foremost, is to just cultivate the habit of getting the time in.

Solo Murph on Memorial Day – My Crossfit gym (like most) does Murph on Memorial Day. Having done Murph three times with a partner, I would like to try it solo this year. I understand that doing Murph solo is a substantial increase over doing it with a partner. Therefore, I need to begin training now in order to make this doable. I need to work out the details of a training regimen soon, but suffice it to say that I expect to be doing a lot of rounds of Cindy, and have already begun working on that. Also, more running than I might otherwise be inclined to do.

Compete in the Kuoshu Tournament in July – I competed in this tournament in 2016 and did not perform very well, mostly due to nerves. After sitting out for a year, I am set to try again. I learned a lot on my first time out and will make changes accordingly. For example, I plan to compete in far more events (I will work out the details on that soon). Before I did the competition, the thought of competing in 6 or 7 events, as many people do, seemed ridiculous. But now I understand. One of the worst things about the competition last time was all the sitting around waiting for my two events. More events means more moving, less waiting, more busyness, and hopefully less nervous build-up. At least, that is the overarching strategy. Also, there are some events where I could be one of very few female competitors, therefore increasing my chance to place well. This may sound like a cheesy way to get a medal, but if you are one of very few people with certain skills/knowledge who shows up to perform, don’t you deserve something for that?

Get Double-Unders – One of my biggest weaknesses in Crossfit is double-unders. I want to finally be able to perform them solidly and reliably. However, since Murph and the Tournament are both occurring in the front part of the year, this goal will probably be secondary until the latter half of 2018. Still, with several months of solid effort, I don’t think that there is any reason why I can’t finally conquer this goat.

So that is it. Difficult goals, but within grasp provided that I put forth consistent effort.